Gov. Jon Corzine’s State of the State address proposing a major toll hike has caused more New Jerseyans to say the state is headed on the wrong track, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released today. Just 26% of voters say the state is headed in the right direction, down from 33% earlier this month, and 63% say New Jersey is headed on the wrong track – up from 55%.
“In fact the governor is telling voters that the state is on the wrong track,” said Peter Woolley, a political scientist and director of the poll, “and at least this part of his message is getting through.” Corzine’s job performance rating has slipped to 44%-36%; it was at 48%-32% before the State of the State. Among voters who use the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway to commute to work, 32% rate the governor’s job performance as “poor” compared to just 19% of those who don’t use the Turnpike or Parkway to commute. At the same time, the governor’s favorable to unfavorable ratio edged down to one-to-one (42%-41%) with 17% unsure, the lowest it has been in his two year term.
“Given the reaction against the governor’s far-reaching proposal, it is surprising that his approval ratings have not dipped more,” said Woolley. “Voters are ambivalent. They may agree the state is headed in the wrong direction, and they want a fix. But what fix with what pain for whom?”
